Pennsylvania voters abandon political elites in support of Mastrian and Fetterman – Morning Call

In this month’s primary election, voters made it clear that they like political outsiders, perhaps now more than ever.

But party leaders have a hard time accepting this. They tend to prefer real politicians who know how the game should be played.

One of my favorite examples was the Democratic primaries in the Pennsylvania Senator in 2016. The bosses went all-in on the loyal Katie McGinty party with money and support, even though her Democratic opponent, former Navy administrator Joe Sestak, nearly defeated Republican Pat Toomey in 2010, a terrible election year for Democrats.

I felt and still feel that the Democrats rejected this 2016 election without supporting Sestak, who I think would have had a much better chance of defeating Tumi in the fall. But the prickly Sestak did not play with them.

They chose the level of comfort over eligibility. It cost them.

This year, many party leaders seem to prefer MP Conor Lamb, a sophisticated moderate Democrat who has successfully won the election in Trump’s country. Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, much rougher than even Sestak, easily won, has established himself as an unlikely political rock star in the process.

The huge Fetterman, in a hoodie and shorts, a former mayor of a small steel town, is the perfect candidate for the growing population of both parties afflicting political elites. Politically, he was most concerned with the drive to legalize marijuana, far from the main position when he first started talking about it.

The rise in contempt for politicians, as usual, was just as pronounced by Republicans.

The most shocking manifestation at the local level was the apparent primary defeat of Republicans – or, if further counting changes the result, serious intimidation – of one of Pennsylvania’s most effective senators, Pat Brown, at the hands of novice politician Jarrett Coleman. I’m still trying to figure it out.

The Republican leadership was delighted with how State Senator Doug Mastrian, a right-wing insurgent who marched with the traitors on Jan. 6 and continued to fend off Donald Trump’s lies whenever possible, seized control of their gubernatorial primaries.

Despite their last-minute efforts to hinder him as a man who would be ineligible in the fall, he easily won.

Another participant on January 6 and ultra-MAGA, Katie Barnett, achieved a strong late participation in the state senator nomination, finishing third and having a big impact on the results.

The candidate who seems to have won before the vote count, Dr. Oz, was still another unconventional candidate, a celebrity doctor from New Jersey whose political views have changed dramatically to fit the case and his support for Trump.

In both of the most important nationwide elections, I suspect Democratic leaders are enthusiastic about Republican candidates, easier targets than for more major Republican candidates, such as obviously second-place senator Dave McCormick or governors, too. Lou Barlett and Bill McSwain.

But if Pennsylvania Democrats feel complacent about their prospects this fall, think about this: Donald Trump’s final shocking victory for the political outsider was in 2016.

It’s hard to imagine a more incredible populist than a city thug like Trump. He has somehow convinced many Republicans and independents that he is one of those people who can go beyond politics and shake up Washington, instead starting four years of epic corruption and dysfunction.

I was still a registered Republican in 2016, but by then I was mostly voting for Democrats other than Charlie Dent, Pat Brown and other local Republicans I admired.

I held my nose and voted for Trump in those primaries, in part because their ranks of presidential candidates, with a few exceptions, were so horrific that I felt it was safest to help them nominate a man who was absolutely unelected in the general election. election in Pennsylvania.

Oops.

Rates for Pennsylvania residents this fall may not be higher, especially in the gubernatorial election.

Given the likelihood of Republican control over our legislature and the U.S. Supreme Court’s turn to the right, we can expect major threats to abortion, contraception, LGBTQ protection, and even loyalty to the election results if Mastriana gets into the governor’s mansion.

Remember, this was a guy who wanted our 2020 presidential advantage to be ignored so that Donald Trump could get the votes of our state’s voters. He alone transferred us from a purple swing state to a deep red, in every way imaginable.

Non-selective? I would think so until 2016.

Now I’m not so sure.

So my advice to Democrats, moderate Republicans and independents is simply:

Don’t be complacent. Be in despair.

You can contact Bill White at whitebil1974@gmail.com. His pen on Twitter was white.